RALEIGH, N.C. – FMI Corporation, the leading provider of management consulting and investment banking services to engineering and construction, infrastructure and the built environment, is pleased to announce the release of its “2019 FMI Overview,” featuring FMI’s latest forecast, the 2019 U.S. and Canada Construction Outlook. The publication offers comprehensive construction forecasts for a broad range of market segments and geographies in the U.S. and Canada and provides valuable insights from FMI executives on how to navigate the next 12 months.

Key highlights of the report include:

2018 marked another strong year for the North American built environment, with total U.S. engineering and construction (E&C) spending growth expected to finish at 5%, the same as in 2017.

Spending growth in 2018 was predominantly led by transportation and select private nonresidential segments.

Primary growth segments in 2019 are expected to include office, educational, public safety, transportation, conservation and development, and manufacturing – all with forecast growth rates of 5% or more.

Most other segments will likely grow by roughly the rate of inflation and therefore be considered stable. Multifamily, lodging and religious are three segments expected to experience decline through 2019.

In Canada, total construction spending put in place is anticipated to be just shy of $260 billion for 2018. This comes to a modest 3% increase over 2017 or about $9 billion in additional investment. Looking ahead to 2019, FMI forecasts another year of modest growth, with total construction spending topping $275 billion.

FMI’s key advice for 2019 is: “Keep calm, stay focused and get ahead of the next downturn.”

Chris Daum, FMI’s CEO, states, “Now is the time to get proactive with conversations and planning around lessons learned from the last downturn and ‘recession-proof’ your company. While the last recession was historic in scale and duration, the next downturn will likely look very different. Still, through good preparation, companies can take the lessons they (or their predecessors) learned from the last recession and use them to avoid repeating any costly mistakes.”

Upcoming Events

The Global Water Summit is for those individuals who want to make a difference – to get involved, to join the debate and get things done. Whichever part of the industry you’re in, you’ll find you’re in the right place to meet more key water leaders than you ever thought possible. Water ministers and utility chief executives who take responsibility for water infrastructure Business leaders who rely on water to maintain their production Investors who are concerned about the impact of water risk on their portfolios Engineers and water technologists who can provide the solutions

Join us at Structures Congress in Orlando, Florida, April 25–27, 2019, to be inspired, connect with leaders in the profession, learn from the experts, and earn Professional Development Hours (PDHs). Stay and experience all Orlando has to offer – it’s not just theme parks!

The AEC BuildTech Conference & Expo is a unique new event spotlighting the latest design & building processes, products and emerging technologies. This interactive three-day conference & expo is designed to inform and inspire today’s entire building team — innovative and influential architects, engineers, contractors, facility managers, owners and more. Educational sessions will include five separate tracks focused on plumbing, HVAC/mechanical systems, flooring, building envelope and roofing. As an attendee you will walk away from this event with the connections and knowledge to leverage tomorrow’s building processes and construction technologies.